"I know, I know," I replied. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't do everything I can to make this work."
"How do you know that doesn't include spending every waking moment with Brody Murphy?"
"It's time to change the subject," I stated. She was giving me a headache. "How are things going with Lee?"
"She's a great worker and extremely bright. But she's quiet. And I think sometimes I scare her."
I laughed. "I doubt that. She has four older brothers and they're all completely nuts."
"As in crazy or just bad boys?" she asked.
I shook my head. "They weren't bad, per se. Just rambunctious. Always up to some sort of mischief. And there wasn't a month that didn't go by without her mom bringing one of them into the office for some cut, sprain, or broken bone. With anyone else, my dad might have thought it was abuse, but those boys played rough and they didn't cut Lee any slack." I laughed a little. "I saw her take down the youngest brother once. I'm not sure what he did, but it was my senior year of high school. He was a junior and she'd just started her freshman year. He was a foot taller than her and outweighed her by at least thirty or forty pounds, maybe more, and she took him down like that." I snapped my fingers in demonstration.
"Wow. I would never have thought she had it in her."
"It's always the quiet ones," I said with a grin. "Which makes me glad she's working for us. I bet she'll be able to keep any misbehaving high school kids in line when they come in."
Sierra finished the last bite of her dinner, dropped her fork in the container, and leaned back in the chair, rubbing her neck. "God, how did you do this for the past few years? You've been essentially working seven days a week."
"When you love your work, it's not work," I answered with a shrug.
"I love my job but even I need a day off once in a while."
"What's your point?" I asked.
"That it's not healthy for you to work seven days a week for months and years on end. You need time to rest. Time to have a life."
I sighed and put my fork in my own container. "I know. I figured that out."
"When?"
"Recently."
"How recently?" Sierra asked.
"Earlier today," I mumbled.
She tilted her head back and laughed. "Did it hurt?"
I scowled at her but she kept laughing anyway.
"I finally realized that I needed to have a life. Not just a boyfriend or a man in my life, but friends. Hobbies."
"You don't have hobbies?" she asked, clutching her chest in mock horror.
"Oh, and you have a lot?" I shot back.
Sierra did exactly what I anticipated and deflected. "Well, since you've had your epiphany, why don't you rethink your decision not to spend time with Brody tonight?"
"I don't know. I think I'll let him decide."
Sierra gave me a confused look but I didn't clarify.
"Okay, well, if you're done, I'm going to take my dishes and go home."
"Should I check for a sock on the door before I come in tonight?" Sierra asked as she rose and handed me the container that once held her dinner.
"What do you think this is, the eighties?"
